Name

This
Surah takes its name from the word (ar-Ra'ad)
(thunder) that occurs in v. 13. It is merely the symbolic name of the
Surah and does not in any way mean that the Surah deals with the
scientific problems connected with thunder.

Period
of Revelation

The
internal evidence (vv. 27-31 and vv. 34-48) shows that this Surah was
revealed in the last stage of the Mission of the Holy Prophet at
Makkah and during the same period in which Surahs Yunus, Hud and Al-
A'araf were sent down. The manner of speech indicates that a long
time had passed since the Holy Prophet had been conveying the
Message. On the one hand, his opponents had been contriving different
devices to defeat him and his Mission, and, on the other, his
followers had been expressing a desire that by showing a miracle the
disbelievers might be brought to the Right Way. In answer, Allah
impressed on the Believers that it is not His way to convert people
by this method and that they should not lose heart, if He is giving
the enemies of the Truth a rope long enough to hang themselves.
Otherwise, He is able to show such signs as may bring the dead out of
their graves and make them speak (v. 31), but even then these
obdurate people will invent an excuse to explain this away. All this
decisive evidence clearly proves that this Surah was revealed during
the last stage of the Prophet's Mission at Makkah.

Central
Theme

The
first verse enunciates the main theme of this Surah, that is, "The
Message of Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him) is the very Truth,
but it is the fault of the people that they are rejecting it."
This is the pivot on which the whole Surah turns. This is why it has
been shown over and over again in different ways that the basic
components of the Message -- Tauhid,
Resurrection and Prophethood-are a reality: therefore they should
believe sincerely in these for their own moral and spiritual good.
They have been warned that they shall incur their own ruin if they
reject them, for kufrby itself is sheer folly and
ignorance. Moreover, the aim of the Surah is not merely to satisfy
the minds but also to appeal to the hearts to accept the Faith.
Therefore it does not merely put forward logical arguments in support
of the truth of the Message and against the people's wrong notions,
but at appropriate intervals it makes frequent use of sympathetic and
earnest appeals to win over their hearts by warning them of the
consequences of kufrand by holding out the happy rewards
of Faith so that the foolish people should give up their obduracy.

Besides
this, the objections of the opponents have been answered without any
mention of them, and those doubts which are proving a hindrance in
the way of the Message or were being created by the opponents have
been removed. At the same time, the Believers; who had been passing
through long and hard ordeal and were feeling tired, and waiting
anxiously for Allah's succor, have been comforted and filled with
hope and courage.

In
the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

[1]
Alif. Lam. Mim. Ra. These are the verses of the Divine Book, and that
which has been sent down to you from your Lord is the very truth, but
most (of your) people do not believe in this.1

[2]
It is Allah Who raised up the heavens without such pillars as you
could see:2
then He sat Himself upon the Throne of His Kingdom:3
He subjected the sun and the moon to a law.4
Everything in the universe is running its course to its fixed term.5
And Allah alone is directing the whole affair. He makes His signs
plain:6
perhaps you may be convinced of meeting your Lord.7

[3]
And it is He Who has spread out the earth, and fixed the immovable
mountains in it, and made the rivers flow on it. He has created in
pairs every kind of fruit, and He covers the day with the veil of
night.8
Surely there are great Signs in these for those who reflect upon
them.

[4]
And behold! there are different regions on the earth close to one
another;9
there are vineyards, corn fields and groves of date-palm with single
or double trunk.10
All are irrigated with the same water, but We make some more tasteful
than others. Most surely there are many Signs in all these things for
those who use their common sense.11

[5]
Now, if there is anything for you to marvel at, you should marvel at
their saying: "What! when we have become dust, shall we then be
raised to a new life again?" These are the people who have
denied their Lord:12
they are those who shall have collars around their necks:13
they shall be the dwellers of Hell and therein they shall dwell for
ever.

[6]
They demand from you the hastening of evil rather than good,14
though indeed there have been instances of exemplary punishments
before them (of the wrath of God on the people who adopted the same
attitude.) The fact is that your Lord shows forbearance to the people
despite their transgressions, and it is also the fact that your Lord
is stern in retribution.

[7]
These people who have rejected your Message, say, "Why has no
Sign been sent down to this person from His Lord"15
You are a warner only and every people has its guide.16

[8-11]
Allah knows what every female bears in her womb: He is fully aware of
what is taking shape in the womb and also what decrease or increase
occurs therein.17
Everything has its fixed measure with Him. He has perfect knowledge
both of the visible and the invisible. He is the Great and the
Supreme Being. Alike to Him are all of you, whether One of you
whispers or speaks aloud or one hides oneself under the cover of the
darkness of night or walks about in the broad day light. For each
person has guardians before him and behind him, who watch over him by
Allah's command.18
The fact is that Allah does not change a people's lot unless they
themselves change their own characteristics: and when Allah decides
to bring about retribution to a people, none can ward it off, nor can
they find any defender or helper against Allah.19

[12-13]
It is He Who makes the lightning flash before you to fill you both
with fear and with hope: it is He Who produces clouds laden with
water. The thunder glorifies Him with His praise20
and the angels, too, glorify Him in awe of Him.21
He lets loose thunderbolts and (often) smites with them whomsoever He
wills, while they are wrangling about Allah. The fact is that His
plan is very effective.22

[14-15]
To invoke Him alone is the right thing.23
As regards the other deities whom they invoke apart from Him, they
cannot give any answer to their prayers. It is as if a man were to
stretch his hands towards water and ask it to come to his mouth, when
it cannot reach his mouth in this way; likewise the prayers of the
disbelievers are nothing but aimless efforts. For it is Allah alone
before Whom everything in the heavens and the earth bows down
willingly or unwillingly,24
and the shadows of all things bow down before Him in the morning and
the evening.25

[16]
Ask them, "Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth ?"
Say, "Allah."26
Then say to them, "When this is the fact, have you then made
beside Him such deities your protectors as can do neither good nor
harm even to themselves ?" Say, "Are the blind man and the
seeing man alike?27
Are light and darkness alike?"28
And if it is not so, have the partners, they have set up with Allah,
created anything like His creation so as to make the matter of
creation doubtful for them?29
Say, Allah alone is the Creator of everything; and He is the Unique,
the Almighty. 30

[17]
Allah sent down water from the sky and every system carried it along
according to its capacity: then there was flood and a swelling foam31
came to the surface. Likewise there arises a scum out of the metals
which are melted in the furnace for making ornaments and utensils.32
By such similitudes, Allah makes the truth distinct from falsehood.
That which is the foam vanishes and that which is beneficial for the
people remains on the earth. In this way Allah cites similes to make
His Message clear.

[18]
There is an excellent reward for those who responded to the call of
their Lord. As for those who rejected His call, they would willingly
give for their ransom all the wealth the earth contained, if they
possessed it, and as much more besides (in order to escape
retribution).33
Those are the people who shall have the heavy reckoning;34
their abode shall be Hell-a wretched resting place.

[19-21]
Well, how can the one who believes that this Book which has been sent
down to you from your Lord, is the Truth, be like the one who is
blind to this fact?35
It is the wise people alone who take advice from this:36
they fulfill their Covenant with Allah, and break it not after
confirming it.37
They join together what Allah has bidden to join:38
they fear their Lord and dread lest they should be called upon to
render a heavy reckoning.

[22-25]
They show fortitude to win the approval of their Lord.39
They establish Salat and expend openly and secretly out of what We
have bestowed upon them and ward off evil with good.40
Their's shall be the abode of the Hereafter: Gardens wherein they
will live for ever. They will enter into them along with the
righteous from among their forefathers, wives and descendants. The
angels will come to welcome them from every side, saying, "Peace
be upon you.41
You have won this blessing because of what you steadfastly endured in
the world." How blessed is this abode of the Hereafter! As for
those who break their Covenant with Allah after confirming it, who
cut asunder what Allah has bidden to be joined, and spread chaos on
the earth, their's shall be the curse, and they shall have a wretched
abode in the Hereafter.

[26]
Allah gives abundantly His provisions to whom He will and sparingly
to whom He pleases.42
These people are wholly absorbed in the joys of this life, whereas
the life of this world is but a paltry thing as compared with the
life of the Hereafter.

[27-29]
Those people who have rejected (Muhammad as a Prophet) say, "Why
has no Sign been sent down to him from his Lord?43
Say, "Allah leads astray whom He will; and He leads to Himself
only those who turn to Him."44
Such are the people who have accepted (the Message of this Prophet,)
and their hearts find comfort in the remembrance of Allah. Note it
well that it is Allah's remembrance alone that brings comfort to
hearts. Blessed are those who have accepted the Message and done
righteous deeds: they have a good end.

[30]
O Muhammad ! We have sent you as a Messenger in this way45
among a people before whom many peoples have passed away so that you
should recite to them the Message which We have sent down to you; yet
they are rejecting the most Compassionate Lord.46
Say to them, "My Lord is He: there is no deity but He: I have
placed my full trust in Him and He is my sole Resort."

[31-32]
And what (do you think) would have been the result, if We had sent a
Qur'an that would have caused the mountains to move or cleft the
earth asunder or made the dead speak?47
(It is not difficult at all to show such Signs) for Allah has full
power over everything.48
Have the Believers (still any expectations of a Sign in answer to the
demand of the disbelievers and) not given up all hope, (knowing) that
Allah could have guided all mankind aright,49
if He had so desired? As for the disbelievers, because of their
misdeeds, one affliction or the other does not cease to visit them
every now and then, or come near their home. It will go on like this
until Allah's threat come to pass. Indeed, Allah does not fail to
bring about His threat. Other Messengers have also been mocked before
you, but I have always given respite to the disbelievers and then
seized upon them at its end. Just see how terrible had been My
Scourge!

[33-35]
What! are they (so audacious that they are) setting up partners with
Him Who is watching minutely over the actions of each and every
soul?5051
O Prophet say to them, "(If God has Himself set them up as His
partners) just tell me their names. Do you mean to inform Him of
something new that He Himself is unaware of on His earth? Or do you
merely utter empty words?52
Indeed for those who rejected the Message their fraud53
has been made to appear fair to them and they have been debarred
froth the Right Way:54
and there is none to show the Right Way to those whom Allah lets go
astray. There is a torment for them in the life of this world but the
torment in the Hereafter is still more painful; and there is none to
protect them from Allah. As regards the Paradise which the God
fearing have been promised it is like this: canals flow beneath it,
its fruits are eternal and its shade is perpetual. Such is the reward
of the righteous but the reward of the disbelievers is the tire of
Hell.

[36-37]
O Prophet! some of those people whom We gave the Book before you
rejoice in the Book We have sent down to you while there are others
among the different sections who reject some of the things contained
in this. Tell them plainly "I have been commanded to worship
Allah alone and prohibited from setting up a partner with him.
Therefore I invite you to Him and myself turn to Him."55
It is with this instruction that We have sent this Command in Arabic
to you. Now if you follow the desires and lusts of the people in
spite of the knowledge you have received there shall be none to
defend you nor to protect you against Allah.

[38-39]
We have sent many Messengers before you and We assigned to them also
wives and children:56
and no Messenger had the power to show any Sign without the sanction
of Allah.57
Every age had its Book: Allah abrogates whatever He pleases and keeps
intact whatever He wills and He has the Original Book58
with Him.

[40-42]
And O Prophet! Rest assured that We will carry out the threat We are
holding out to them whether a part of it should happen during your
lifetime or We should cause you to die before its fulfillment. Anyhow
your duty is only to convey the Message and it is for Us to do the
reckoning.59
Do these people not see how We are advancing in the land and
shrinking its boundaries (for them) on all sides ?60
Allah rules and there is none to revise His decrees and He is swift
at His reckoning. Indeed those who went before them also devised
schemes,61
but the decisive plan is wholly in the hand of Allah. He knows what
every soul earns and the disbelievers will soon come to know who will
have a good end.

[43]
These disbelievers say, “You are not a Messenger of Allah.”
Say, “Allah suffices for a witness between me and you, and
every such person who has the knowledge of the Book.”62

1This
is the introduction to this Surah, in which its aim and object has
been enunciated in a few words. Allah has addressed the Holy Prophet
to this effect: "O Prophet! most of your people arc rejecting
the teachings of the Qur'an for one reason or the other, but the
fact is that what We are sending down to you is the Truth whether
people believe it or not."

After
this brief introduction, the discourse deals with the main subject
of the Surah, which consists of three basic things. First, "The
whole of the universe belongs to Allah alone, and none besides Him
has any right to service and worship" . Second, "There is
another life after this life, in which you shall have to render an
account of all your actions." Third, "I am a Messenger of
Allah: whatever I am presenting before you is not from myself but
from Allah." As the people were rejecting these three things,
these have been reiterated over and over again in various forms to
remove doubts and objections from the minds of the disbelievers.

2In
other words, "Allah keeps the myriads of heavenly bodies in
space without any visible and perceptible support." Though
there is nothing apparent and visible that is supporting these
bodies, yet there is an invariable and imperceptible Power which is
not only holding and keeping each and everyone of these huge bodies
including the earth we inhabit in their proper places and orbits but
also does not let any collision take place between them.

3For
the fuller details of "He sat Himself on the Throne of His
Kingdom," please refer to E.N. 41 of Al-Aaraf. Here the purpose
will be served if it is understood that this thing has been
mentioned in the Qur'an at many places in order to bring out clearly
the fact that Allah has not only created the earth, but also rules
over His Kingdom, and that His universe is a factory that is not
working automatically as some ignorant people seem to think nor is
it being ruled by many gods as other ignorant people seem to
believe. But it is a regular system that is being run and ruled over
by its Creator.

4It
should be noted here that the addressees themselves accepted the
truth of all the claims that have been made in this verse. Therefore
no proofs were required of the facts that it is Allah Who raised up
the heavens without any visible support and subjected the sun and
the moon to a fixed order. These things have been mentioned here
only as arguments to prove that Allah is the sole Sovereign and
ruler of the whole universe.

Now let
us consider this question: How can such an argument as this convince
those who do not believe at all in the existence of God nor
acknowledge that He is the Creator of the universe and the Director
of all its affairs ? The answer is that the arguments in support of
the Doctrine of Tauhid advanced in the Qur'an to convince the
mushriks equally apply against the atheists to prove the existence
of God. It is like this: The whole of the universe-the earth, the
moon, the sun and the countless heavenly bodies-constitute a perfect
system which is working, under the same all-powerful Law. This is a
proof that such a system must have been designed by some
All-Powerful Sovereign, Who possesses wisdom and unerring knowledge.
This proves conclusively the existence of that Allah Who has no
other equal nor associate nor partner. For there can be no system
without an administrator, no law without a ruler, no wisdom without
a sage, and no knowledge without the possessor of that knowledge.
Above all, no one can ever conceive that there can be any creation
without a Creator except the one who is obdurate or has no sense
left in him at all.

5This
system is not only a standing proof of the fact that an All-Powerful
Sovereign is ruling over it, but is also an evidence of the great
wisdom underlying it; it also bears witness that there is nothing
ever-lasting in it. Everything in it remains for a fixed term after
which it comes to an end. This is equally true for each and every
component part of it as well as for the whole system. It is quite
evident from its physical structure that there is nothing
ever-lasting and immortal. There must be some fixed term for the
system as a whole, after the expiry of which it shall come to an
end. Then there shall be another world: therefore it is most likely
that there shall be Resurrection as predicted in the Qur'an: nay,
its inevitability is beyond any doubt.

6Allah
makes plain those Signs which help prove the truth of what the Holy
Prophet was informing them. These Signs are spread all over the
universe and everyone who observes these with open eyes can perceive
that the realities towards which the Qur'an invites the people are
testified by these Signs.

7The
preceding Signs have been cited to prove two things. First, the
universe has only one Creator and Administrator. Second, there shall
be life in the Hereafter in which everyone shall be judged in the
Divine Court and awarded rewards and punishments on merit. As the
first thing was quite obvious, it has not been mentioned in the
conclusion drawn from the Signs. But the second thing, life in the
Hereafter, has been mentioned because that was rather hidden from
perception. Therefore it has specifically been stated that these
Signs have been made plain in order "to convince you that you
shall meet your Lord in the Hereafter and render an account of all
your actions in this world."

Now let
us consider how these Signs help prove life in the Hereafter. These
make it evident in two ways:

(1) When
we consider how big heavenly bodies as the sun and the moon are
completely subject to the will of Allah, our hearts feel convinced
that Allah Who has created these things and regulated their
movements so orderly around their orbits, has undoubtedly the power
to bring to life the whole human race after its death.

(2) The
terrestrial system also proves that its Creator is All-Wise.
Therefore it can never be imagined that the All-Wise Creator could
have created man and endowed him with wisdom and intelligence and
invested him with power and authority, and then left him free to do
what he liked with these, without being responsible and accountable
for their use or abuse. For His Wisdom demands that He should take
full account of all the acts and deeds of man in this world. It
requires that. He should take to task those who committed
aggressions and compensate their victims and He should give rewards
to those who practiced virtue and punishments to those who did
wicked deeds. In short, His Wisdom requires that He should call to
account every human being and demand: "How did you carry out
the trust that was placed in your hands in the shape of your
wonderful body with its wonderful faculties and the numerous
resources of the earth?" It may be that a foolish and unjust
ruler of this world might entrust the affairs of his kingdom in the
hands of his agents and then forget to call them to account, but
such a thing can never be expected from the All-Wise and All-Knowing
Allah.

It is
this way of observing and considering the heavenly bodies that can
convince us that life in the Hereafter is both possible and
inevitable.

8After
citing some heavenly Signs in support of the doctrines of Tauhid and
the Hereafter, a few Signs are being cited from the earth for the
same purpose. Briefly the following are the arguments for Tauhid,
Resurrection and Accountability:

(1)
Tauhid: The fact that the earth is closely connected with the
heavenly bodies (which help create life on it), and the fact that
the mountains and the rivers are so inter-related with that life are
clear proofs that all these things have not been created by separate
and different gods nor are being governed, by gods with independent
powers and authorities. Had it been so, there could not have been so
much harmony, congruity, accord and unity of purpose among them; nor
could these relationships have continued for such a long time. For
it is quite obvious that if there had not been One All-Powerful and
All-Wise Allah, it could not have been possible and practicable for
different gods to sit together and evolve out such a harmonious
system of the universe without any discord or conflict between its
myriads of bodies.

(2)
Resurrection: This wonderful planet, the earth, is itself a great
proof that its Creator is All-Powerful and can, therefore, raise the
dead whenever He will. For it is floating in space round the sun and
it has high mountains fixed in it and has large rivers flowing on
its surface: it produces countless fruit-bearing trees and it brings
about the cycles of the day and the night with precise regularity.

All these
things bear witness to the boundless power of its Creator. It would,
therefore, be sheer folly to doubt that such All-Powerful Creator is
incapable of raising mankind to life after death.

(3)
Accountability: The earth, with all its wonderful and purposeful
signs, is a clear evidence of the fact that its Creator is All-Wise.
Therefore it cannot even be imagined that He has created man, His
noblest creation, without any purpose. Just as His wisdom is
apparent from the structure of the earth, its mountains, its rivers,
the pairs of its trees and fruits, its night and day, so it is quite
obvious that it has not been made the habitation of man without any
purpose, nor will it be brought to naught without the fulfillment of
that purpose. Clearly mankind shall be accountable to its Creator
for the fulfillment of that Divine purpose.

9That
is, "If you observe carefully, you will find Divine wisdom,
design and purpose in the diversity of the structure of the earth.
Though it has countless regions adjoining one another, they are
different from one another in their shapes, colors, component parts,
characteristics, potentialities, productive capacity and source of
minerals. This diversity has countless points of wisdom and
advantage. Let alone other creatures, if we consider the diversity
of regions from the point of the good it has done to mankind, we
shall have to acknowledge that this is the result of the
well-thought and well-planned design of the All-Wise Creator. For
this diversity has helped the growth of human civilization so much
that only an unreasonable person can assign this to mere accident.

10Some
of the date-palm trees have only a single trunk from the root while
others have two or more stems from the same root.

11The
things mentioned in this verse contain many other Signs besides the
proofs of Tauhid and the boundless powers and All-Comprehensive
Wisdom of Allah. Let us consider one of these, that is the diversity
in the universe, including mankind. There is the one and the same
earth but all its regions are quite different from one another. Then
there is one and the same water but it helps to produce different
kinds of corn and fruits. Then one and the same tree bears fruits
which, in spite of likeness, differ from one another in shapes,
sizes, and other features. Then there is one and the same root from
which sometimes one and at others two trunks sprout up, with their
own different characteristics. If one considers these aspects of
diversity, one shall come to the conclusion that the Divine wisdom
demands the same kind of diversity in the natures, temperaments and
inclinations of human beings, and, therefore, in their conducts. So,
one need not worry about the existence of this diversity. As it has
been stated in v. 31, if Allah had willed, He could have created all
human beings alike and virtuous by birth. But the wisdom that
underlies the creation of the universe, including mankind, requires
diversity and not uniformity. Otherwise, all this creation would
have become meaningless.

12They
"have denied their Lord": their denial of the Hereafter
is, in fact, the denial of the Power and Wisdom of Allah. As they
say that it is impossible to bring them again to life after their
death, it implies that, God forbid, their Allah Who has created them
lacks not only power but wisdom, too.

13As
a collar around the neck is a symbol of imprisonment, the words
"collars around their necks" have been used here
idiomatically to show that they are slaves of ignorance, obduracy,
lust and are blind followers of their forefathers. As their thinking
is influenced by their prejudices, they cannot believe in the
Hereafter and would deny this, though there is every reason to
believe that it is inevitable.

14This
refers to the demand of the Quraish from the Holy Prophet "If
you are a true Prophet of God, why don't you hasten to bring that
scourge of God on us of which you have been threatening us, when we
are flouting and denying you ?" They did this in different
ways. Sometimes they would invoke God mockingly and say, "O
Lord, settle our accounts now and do not postpone these to the Day
of Resurrection" . At another time, they would say, "Our
Lord, if what Muhammad says be true, and be from Thee, then stone us
from the sky or send down some other scourge upon us from the sky or
send down some other painful torment upon us." In this verse an
answer has been given to such impudent demands of the disbelievers.
They have been admonished to refrain from such foolish demands and
avail of the respite that was being given to them and mend their
ways, for they were incurring the wrath of God by adopting the
attitude of rebellion.

15This
showed their mentality. The only criterion of judging whether
Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him) was a true Prophet or not
according to these disbelievers, was whether he would perform a
miracle to order. This was because they would not judge his Message
by rational arguments: they would not learn a lesson from his high
character nor from the moral revolution that was being brought about
among his Companions by his Message and noble example: nor would
they carefully consider the rational arguments given in the Qur'an
to prove the errors of their religion of shirk and superstitions of
ignorance. They would ignore these rational things and demand a
miracle to decide the issue.

16This
is the concise answer to their demand, though it has not been
directly addressed to the disbelievers but to the Messenger. It is
this: "O Prophet, you should not worry at all about some
miracle which you might show to these people in order to convince
them, for it is not a part of your Mission. Your duty is only to
warn the people of their negligence and of the evil consequences of
their wrong ways. And for this purpose, We have always sent a guide
to every people. Now you, too, are performing this duty, and it is
for them to open their eyes and judge the truth of your Message."
After giving this concise answer, Allah overlooks their demand but
warns them, in the succeeding verses, that they have to deal with
the All-Knowing Allah Who has full knowledge about everyone of them
from the time they were in the wombs of their mothers, and Who keeps
a keen watch over everything they do. Therefore their fates shall be
decided strictly with justice in accordance with their merits and
that there is no power on the earth and in the heavens that can
influence in the least His decisions and judgments.

17When
amplified the verse will mean : Allah remains fully aware of all the
developments that take place in the child while in its mother's
womb, and He watches over the decrease or increase in each of its
limbs, and its potentialities, capabilities and powers.

18That
is, "Allah not only directly watches over whatever each person
does, and is fully aware of everything he does, but He has also
appointed such Guardians as accompany him everywhere and keep a full
record of all his deeds." This has been stated here to warn
those people who live their lives under the delusion that they have
been left absolutely free to do whatever they like and shall not be
required to render an account of what they did in this worldly life.
The warning is that such people invite their own retribution.

19This
is to warn them further that they should not remain under any
delusion that some holy person or saint or angel has the power to
rescue them froth Divine Retribution, for there is none who could
defend them against Allah, even though they might have been paying
homages and making offerings to their so-called patrons and
protectors in the hope that they would rescue them froth punishment
from Allah on the Day of Judgment.

20The
thunder is a proclamation of Tauhid for those who have ears to hear
the real meaning of its loud noise which follows the flash of
lightning, though it is merely a kind of noise for those who hear it
like animals. For it proclaims that Allah Who raises clouds from the
oceans and carries them wherever He wills, and makes the lightning
flash from the clouds and then turns them into rain so as to supply
water to the dwellers of the earth, is perfect and worthy of all
praise, is All-Wise and All-Powerful and is flawless in every
respect and has do partner whatsoever.

21The
mention of the fact that the angels are filled with awe of their
Lord, and they proclaim His praise has a special significance here.
This is to refute the shirk of the ignorant people who have always
worshiped the angels as gods and deities and believed them to be
partners with God in His Godhead. It has been stated that they are
not partners with Allah but His most obedient servants; so much so
that they praise Him and are filled with awe of Him.

22He
has countless plans and measures which are so effective and sudden
that He can smite any one with any one of them from any side He
will. So much so that the intended victim is absolutely unaware of
it. This is a proof that those people, who say absurd things about
such All-Powerful Being, are absolutely void of sense.

23"To
invoke Him alone is the right thing," for Allah alone has the
power and the authority to give help and remove difficulties.

24"...
everything in the heavens and the earth bows down before Allah"
in the same sense that every creation of His has to obey and submit
to His Physical Law in every detail. The only difference between the
submission of a Believer and an unbeliever is that the former
submits to it with a willing heart while the latter is forced to do
so against his will, for it is absolutely beyond his power to oppose
it.

25"The
shadows bow down" in the sense that they fall to the west in
the morning and to the cast in the evening and so on. This shows
that they, too, have to submit to some Law.

26It
will be worth while to note that though the question, "Who is
the Lord of the heavens and the earth?" was put to the
disbelievers, Allah told the Holy Prophet to answer it himself and
say, "Allah". This was because the disbelievers hesitated
to answer it one way or the other. They could not say that it was
not Allah for they themselves believed that Allah was the Creator of
everything. On the other hand, they could not acknowledge this fact
in so many words in answer to such question, for, they would, then,
have to acknowledge the doctrine of Tauhid for no basis could have
been left in favor of shirk. As they realized their weak position,
they would not give any answer to such questions. That is why Allah
asks His Messenger to put such questions to the disbelievers: "Who
is the Creator of the heavens and the earth? Who is the Lord of the
Universe? Who sustains you with provisions of life?" When they
do not give any answer to such questions, Allah asks His Messenger
to say "Allah" in answer. He then proceeds on with this
argument: "When Allah does all these things, how do the deities
you worship come in?"

27The
blind man is the person who cannot see any of the countless signs of
the Oneness of Allah, though these lie spread over before him in the
universe. On the other hand, the seeing man is the person who can
see in every particle of the universe and in every leaf of grass and
tree Signs pointing to their Creator. Thus the question that has
been posed means: "O disbelievers ! if you are blind to the
Signs, why should the one who can see the Signs should behave like a
blind man and stumble along like you?"

28Here
"light" means the light of the knowledge of the Truth
which the Holy Prophet and his followers possessed. In contrast to
this, there was the "darkness" of ignorance in which the
disbelievers were wandering about. The question that has been posed
means to ask this: "Why should those, who have got the `light',
extinguish it and wander about in the darkness like you? Well, if
you do not know the worth of the `light', you may choose to wander
in the darkness, but how can you expect the one who has got the
'light', who appreciates the difference between the light and the
darkness, and who is seeing the right way as if in broad daylight,
to Dave the light and wander about in the darkness?"

29The
question is intended to impress on the disbelievers that there is
absolutely no reason why they should practice shirk. When they
themselves admit that their gods did not create even an iota in the
universe and that they have not even the smallest and most
insignificant share in the creation, there remains no ground for
them to cherish any doubts about it. Why should, then, their false
gods and deities share the rights and powers of the Real Creator?

30The
Arabic word (Qah-har) literally means "the one who rules over
all by virtue of one's own power, and keeps all under one's complete
control."

This fact
that "He is the Unique, the Almighty" follows naturally
from the preceding fact that "Allah alone is the Creator of
everything," for this fact was also acknowledged by the
mushriks and was never denied by them. This is so because the
Creator of everything should logically be Unique, and every other
thing or being must necessarily be His creation. Therefore nothing
could be the equal of the Creator or partner in His Being,
attributes, powers and rights. Likewise, the Creator must have
complete power and control over His Creation.

For it
can never be imagined that the Creator would create anything over
which He has not full control. Therefore, the one who acknowledges
Allah to be the Creator must also acknowledge Him to be the Unique
and the All-Powerful. After this, there remains no reason why one
should worship any one other than the Creator or invoke some one
else for help in resolving one's difficulties and fulfilling one's
needs.

31In
this simile the Knowledge which had been sent down. by Allah to the
Holy Prophet has been likened to the rain from the sky, and the
Believers to the streams, rivulets and rivers. Just as the streams
etc. , fill themselves with rain-water, each according to its
capacity, so his followers gained knowledge from him, each according
to his ability. On the other hand, the hue and cry that was raised
by the opponents of the Islamic Movement has been likened to the
swelling foam etc., that begins to dance about on the surface of
flood water, but soon vanishes away.

32As
it is but natural that scum should appear on the surface when are
melted in the furnace for purification, likewise bad people would
come surface and take prominent part in persecuting the good people
who are passed through the furnace of persecution for their
purification.

33This
shows that the disbelievers would be in such a sad plight that they
would not hesitate to give their all for their redemption.

34"....
they shall have the heavy reckoning": they shall have to bear
the full consequences of their evil deeds. No sin, no shortcoming,
in short, nothing will be forgiven and no evil shall go unpunished.

We learn
from the Qur'an that the rebels of Allah shall have to render a
reckoning, whereas there shall be a "light" reckoning from
those who have been faithful and obedient to their Lord. In
consideration of their loyal services, their cases will be dealt
with leniently, and taking their general goodness into account many
of their shortcomings will be forgiven.

This is
further amplified by a Tradition of the Holy Prophet. Hadrat
'A'ishah relates, "I said, O Messenger of Allah! the most
dreadful verse of the Qur'an is this: Whoso shall commit an evil, he
shall be punished for it'. (IV :123). The Holy Prophet answered, O
`A'ishah! don't you know how Allah clears the accounts of His
faithful and obedient servant? Whatever harm or trouble he receives
in this world-even so much as the pricking of a thorn-is taken by
Allah as atonement for one or the other of his sins. As regards the
Hereafter, everyone, who shall be called upon to render an account
of any sin, shall be punished for it' . At this Hadrat `A'ishah
asked, `Then what is meant by light reckoning in this verse: Whoso
shall be given his `Conduct Register' in his right hand, he will
render a light reckoning?' (LXXXIV:?-8). The Holy Prophet answered,
`This means merely the presentation of his whole conduct, that is,
all his deeds-good and bad-shall be presented before Allah but he
shall not be called upon to clear the account of all his deeds; for
the one who shall be called upon to clear the whole of his account,
shall be totally ruined."

The same
thing is happening even in this world. A master deals very leniently
with his faithful and obedient servant and connives at his minor
faults and even forgives his major faults in consideration of his
meritorious services. On the other hand, if a servant is proved to
be treacherous and dishonest, no consideration is given even to his
services, and he is punished both for his minor and for major
faults.

35That
is, "As the attitude of the two in this world will be different
from each other, so shall be their ultimate end in the Hereafter."

36That
is, "Those who listen to the Message that has been sent down by
Allah, and accept His Messenger, are really very wise people. This
is why their conduct in this world is quite different from those
foolish people who are blind to its merits: and so is their ultimate
end in the Hereafter, as stated in the subsequent verses".

37This
Covenant is the same that was made by Allah with the whole of
mankind at the beginning of the creation that they would worship Him
alone. (Please refer to E.N.'s 134 and 135 of Al-A`araf). As this
Covenant has been made with every human being, it has been imbued
firmly in human nature. When a human being is born in this world,
he, so to say, confines the same Covenant because he owes his
creation to the same Allah with Whom he had made that Covenant: then
he is brought up by His Providence and fed and nourished with His
Provisions, and uses the powers and faculties endowed by Him. AII
these things bind him by themselves into a covenant of bondage with
his Lord. It is obvious that wise, loyal and faithful people fulfill
their Covenant and dare not break it except that they might break it
unconsciously and unwillingly.

38That
is, "All those social and civil relations that are conducive to
the correct and right conduct of collective human life."

39"They
show fortitude": they remain self-possessed and keep under
control all their desires and lusts and do not transgress the
bounds, and they do not yield to temptations to disobey their Lord
in order to gain advantages and gratify their desires: nay, they
bear with calm courage and endurance losses and afflictions that are
inevitable in the obedience of Allah. If we consider the life of a
believer from this point of view, we shall find that the whole of
his life is the life of endurance and fortitude, for he keeps
himself under control in very trying circumstances in this world in
the hope of winning the approval of his Lord and in the expectation
of gaining permanent benefits in the Hereafter: so he fights with
fortitude every temptation to sin.

40That
is, "If others do evil to them, they do not do evil in return
but do good instead: they do not fight mischief with mischief but
with virtue. Howsoever unjust one may be to them, they do justice in
every case. Likewise, they remain truthful and honest even in the
cast of those who tell lies against them and show dishonesty towards
them."

There is
a Tradition of the Holy Prophet to the same effect: "You should
not imitate others in your conduct towards other people, for it is
wrong to say, 'We will do goodness to others, if they do goodness to
us and we will do injustice to them if they are unjust to us.' (On
the other hand,) you should follow this principle: if others do
goodness to you, you should do goodness to them, but if they do evil
to you, you should not be unjust to them."

There is
another Tradition, which begins with the words: "My Lord has
bidden me to do nine things. Four of these things are, I should
behave justly towards everyone whether I am pleased or offended with
him. I should render the right even of the one who violates my
rights. I should pay the dues even of the one who depraves me of my
due. I should forgive the one who has been unjust to me." There
is yet another Tradition to the same effect: "Don't be
faithless even to the one who has been faithless to you." There
is also a saying of Hadrat 'Umar that amounts to the same thing.
"The best way of punishing the one, who does not fear God in
his dealings with you, is that you should fear God in your dealings
with him."

41This
implies two things. The angels will come in large numbers from every
side and give them this good news: "Now you have come to a
place where there is peace for you. Here you arc immune from every
affliction, every trouble, every hardship, and every danger and
worry." (For details please see E.N. 29 of Al-Hijr).

42This
verse refutes the wrong criterion by which the disbelievers of
Makkah (and all other foolish people of the world) judged whether
one was or was not a favorite of God. They judged a man's worth by
his wealth and worldly prosperity and not by his faith and righteous
conduct. They thought that the one who was enjoying all the good
things of life was a favorite of God, even if he had erroneous
beliefs and did wicked deeds. On the other hand, they considered the
one who was poor and indigent to be under the wrath of God, even
though he was righteous. That is why in their judgment the chiefs of
the Quraish were far superior to the followers of the Holy Prophet.
They would say, "You can see for yourselves that God is with
the chiefs of the Quraish."

In this
verse, Allah has warned there that they are absolutely wrong in
drawing such a conclusion from the worldly conditions of the people.
Allah gives His provision to the people abundantly or sparingly for
reasons different from those which they presumed and richness or
poverty is no criterion by which to judge the worth of people. The
real criterion of judging the worth of people is their beliefs and
deeds. The one, who has righteous beliefs and does good deeds, shall
be higher in rank than the one who has wrong beliefs and does evil
deeds. Thus the real criterion is the quality of one's deeds and not
the possession or the lack of wealth.

43Please
also keep in view the answer that has been given to this question in
v.7.

44This
is the answer to their question. It is not due to the lack of signs
that they were going astray, but it is the lack of any desire in
them to seek right guidance. For Allah does not force one to follow
the Right Way, if he deliberately turns away from it. He lets such
persons wander on the wrong ways they choose to wander. Nay, even
all those things that should serve as a means to guidance for a
seeker of truth, become the means of deviation for the one who seeks
deviation. So much so that that very torch which helps show the way
to the former, dazzles the eyes of the latter. This is how Allah
Leads astray a person.

This
answer to the demand of a Sign is matchless in its eloquence. It
says to them, "O foolish people! it is not due to the lack of
Signs that you are not finding the right path, but it is due to the
lack of any desire in you for it. You do not see any of the
countless Signs that lie scattered all around you because you have
no desire to go to the Right Way. How can then any Sign be helpful
to you ? For you would not see any of those Signs. However, those
who seek the Right Way to Allah, see these Signs and find the Right
Way with their help."

45That
is, In this way that We have not given you a Sign they demanded.

46That
is, "Instead of serving that most Compassionate Lord, they are
discarding His service and setting up other partners in His
attributes, powers, rights and giving thanks to others for His
blessings."

47This
verse has been addressed to the Believers who were feeling uneasy
that no such Sign was being sent as was demanded by the
disbelievers. They thought that such a Sign would convince the
disbelievers and they would accept Islam. Therefore when no such
Sign was sent, they became all the more uneasy for the lack of the
fulfillment of the demand that gave rise to doubts about the
Prophethood of the Messenger. The question posed in this verse is
meant to remove that uneasiness of the Muslims. It is like this: "Do
you think that they would have embraced Islam if such and such Signs
had been shown to them all of a sudden along with a Surah of the
Qur'an ? Are you under the delusion that they are quite ready to
accept Islam and are waiting only for such a Sign ? Do you think
that those people who have failed to see the light of the Truth in
the teachings of the Qur'an, in the phenomena of the universe, in
the pure and spotless life of the Holy Prophet and in the wonderful
change in the lives of his Companions, would see the light of the
Truth in the moving of the mountains, in the cleavage of the earth
and in the coming out of the dead from the graves?"

48"Allah
has full power over everything" and can show any Sign if He so
desires. He is not showing any Sign for it does not fit in the
scheme laid down for the guidance of Man. As the real object is to
show Guidance to mankind through the Prophet and not to compel them
to believe in the Prophethood of a Prophet, He desires that the
people should gain guidance by thinking and observing wisely and not
by seeing Signs.

49That
is, "If the object had been to make human beings Believers even
without consciously understanding it, Allah could have created them
Believers by birth."

50That
is, "They are so audacious that they set up partners with Allah
Whose knowledge is All-Comprehensive and Who is aware of even the
minutest details of the good and bad actions of each individual."

51These
are the audacious things they do. They ascribe partners and equals
to Him: they believe that some of His creatures are a part and
parcel of His Being, and have attributes and rights like Him: they
presume that they shall not be called to account for whatever they
do, even though they live in His Kingdom.

52That
is, "You give empty names to the partners you ascribe to Him
for you have no real knowledge about them." For you could get
this knowledge only in one of the three following ways:

First,
You might have received some authentic information that Allah had
made such and such people as His partners in His attributes, powers
and rights. If it is so, please let us also know their names and the
source of your information.

The
second possibility is that Allah might have remained ignorant that
some beings have become His partners. Therefore you are going to
inform Him about this. If it is so, please say it clearly in so many
words so that it may be decided whether there are some foolish
people who can believe in such a nonsensical claim.

Obviously
the above two suppositions are absurd. Therefore the only
alternative is that, "You are ascribing partners to Him without
any rhyme or reason, and you without any knowledge make one the
relative of God, another the hearer of supplications, and still
another the helper and fulfiller of certain needs and the ruler of a
certain region etc."

53Shirk
has been called "fraud" because none of the angels,
spirits, saints, heavenly bodies, to whom they ascribe Divine
attributes and powers or render Divine rights, ever claimed to
possess these attributes or powers, nor did they ever demand these
rights from the people nor told the people that they would fulfill
their desires and wants, if they would perform some rituals of
worship before them. As a matter of fact, some clever people
invented these gods in order to practice willful deception and
dishonesty so that they might wield powerful influence over the
common people and exploit them and deprive them of a part of their
hard earned possessions. Accordingly, they made the common people
credulous followers of the gods of their inventions and set
themselves up as their representatives to get money, etc.., from
them by this fraud.

The
second reason why shirk has been called "fraud" is that a
worldly man pretends to believe in it not because he wants to
believe in it but in order to free himself from all moral restraints
to enable him to lead an irresponsible life of treed and lust.

The third
reason is given below in E. N . 54.

54Shirk
is also `fraud' in the sense that it has been made to appear fair
for them and so leads them into deviation and prevents them from
coming back to the Right Way. It is like this: When mushriks adopt
wrong ways of deviation that suit the kind of lives they wish to
lead, they have to invent arguments to pacify their consciences and
convince other people that they are on the right way. Naturally this
fraud confirms them on the way of deviation and they are debarred
from the Right Way.

55This
is in reply to a specific objection which was then raised by the
disbelievers. They would say, "If he has brought the same
Message that was brought by the Messengers before him (as he
claims). why don't the Jews and the Christians who are the followers
of the former Prophets come forward and welcome it?" The verse
answers the objection and says that the taste followers of the
former Prophets really rejoice in the Message of the Qur'an, but the
false ones have been offended at it. Then it asks the Holy Prophet
not to worry at all about this, saying, "O Prophet, you should
not mind at all whether they are pleased or offended at it. Tell
them plainly that this is the Guidance I have received from my Lord
and I will follow it at all costs."

56This
is the answer to another objection. The disbelievers said that Ire
could not be a Prophet of Allah because he had wives and children,
for they argued that Prophets had nothing to do with carnal desires.

57This
is the answer to yet another objection: "Had he been a taste
Prophet, he would have shown a Sign like the shining hand and the
miraculous staff of Prophet Moses or he would have restored sight to
the blind or cured lepers like Prophet Jesus, or brought a Sign like
the she-camel of Prophet Salih". The answer is this: "None
of the former Messengers had any power to show any Sign nor has this
Prophet: Allah showed a Sign whenever and through whomsoever He
considered it to be necessary and will show any Sign whenever He
will consider it necessary, and that I have not claimed to possess
any such power that such a demand might be made from me."

58This
is the answer to another objection raised against the Revelation of
the Qur'an. The disbelievers said, "What was the need of this
new Book, when there already existed the former revealed Books? You
say that this need has arisen because the former Books have been
tampered with; therefore Allah has abrogated them and commanded that
this new Book should be followed. This position you have taken is
wrong for how can any one tamper with the Book of Allah and how is
it possible that any Book of Allah might be tampered with? Why did
not Allah protect these Books from such things as these? You say
that this Book has been revealed by the same Allah Who revealed the
Torah and the Gospel. Haw is it then that your way is different from
that of the Torah? You consider certain things lawful while they are
unlawful according to the Torah, etc. etc." Detailed answers to
these objections have been given in other Surahs but here only a
brief and comprehensive answer has been given to them.

The
Arabic word ( (Umm-ul-Kitab) literally means "the Mother Book",
that is, the Original Book which is the Source and Origin of all the
revealed Books.

59This
is to console the Holy Prophet, as if to say, "O Prophet, you
need not concern yourself as to the end of these disbelievers who
have rejected the Truth. You should go on performing with peace of
mind the Mission that has been entrusted to you and leave it to Us
to give them suitable punishment." Though this has been
addressed to the Holy Prophet, it is obvious that it is really meant
to warn the opponents of the Truth, who were demanding definitely
from the Holy Prophet by way of a challenge to bring about the
scourge about which threats were being held out to them.

60"We
are advancing in the land"= this is a very subtle way of
warning the opponents of the Truth: "The fact that Our Message
is spreading fast in Arabia does, in fact, mean that We Ourselves
are advancing very fast in the country against you for We are with
those who are carrying Our Message."

"We
are shrinking its boundaries for them"= "We are causing
the influence of Islam to spread fast in the land and are thus
reducing the boundaries of the influence of its opponents. Are not
these things the portents of their coming disaster?"

61That
is, "These people, who are now devising schemes to defeat the
Message of the Truth, do not take a lesson from the sad end of the
people who devised similar schemes before them to suppress the voice
of the Truth by falsehood, fraud and persecution."

62That
is "Everyone who has the knowledge of the Divinely revealed
Books will bear witness to the fact that my teachings are the same
that were imparted by the former prophets."